September
11 , 2004
When
Irving Thalberg died in 1936, the Marx Brothers were left at the
mercy of a film studio that truly didn’t care about them.
You
can see the collapsing quality of those final three MGM pictures
– At the Circus, Go West, The Big Store
– for yourself, as Groucho, Chico, and Harpo are stuck with
poor scripts and mediocre directors. It’s heartbreaking for
fans to watch, to see these masterful comedy anarchists essentially
reduced to bit roles in second-hand B-movies.
After
1939’s The Big Store, the Brothers finally called
it a day. Thankfully, they made something of a comeback in 1946
with A Night in Casablanca. This is a very enjoyable picture
that plays very much like a reunion tour of a favorite band from
yesteryear. It tends to be overlooked in the Marx canon, which is
a little unfair, because it does deserve your attention.
We’ll
gloss over the exposition over the plot, which thankfully is over
fairly quickly, and we’ll forget about the poor romantic lead,
which becomes almost completely forgotten by the time Groucho shows
up. Let’s just enjoy watching these aging greats bounce around
and wreak havoc once more, for old times’ sake.
A
Night in Casablanca is essentially a reunion of classic hits
(“Don’t worry,” quips Groucho, “this isn’t
the first time I’ve been in a closet.”), and our joy
comes from watching our favorite comedians crack wise and mug for
the camera. This is the proper farewell that they were denied in
The Big Store. It's impressive that these brothers, pushing
60 years of age and certainly looking it, can still move at the
crackerjack pace of their younger days.
This
film plays very much like a collection of greatest hits, and what’s
here is spot-on: Groucho’s barrage of wisecracks, Chico at
the piano, Harpo munching on a teacup. The jokes come at a fast
clip, full of that old spark, and there are a good number of punch
lines that you’ll want to memorize and try out on blind dates.
The
script was written by Joseph Fields and Rolands Kibbee, who certainly
were Marx fans, and the director, Archie Mayo, was a veteran of
studio comedies. They clearly enjoyed themselves, and it shows.
The plot, again, is meaningless, inviolving antics at the Hotel
Casablanca (yes, that one) and stolen Nazi loot. Thankfully, the
serious bits, which are honestly dull, are more in the background
than the average MGM Marx movie.
It
should be noted that Sig Ruman plays a great comic foil as a Nazi
on the run, just as he was great in Night at the Opera
and Day at the Races. Lisette Verea does a decent job as
his accomplice, trying to seduce Groucho, but, let's be honest,
she's no Thelma Todd or Margaret Dumont. She's basically there as
a romantic magnet for Groucho's put-downs and one-liners.
I
suppose I should say something cliched, like pointing out that this
is the Marxes' best movie since Irving Thalberg died. But isn't
that a bit obvious? We never expect old entertainers to excite us
with new material, but spark our nostalgia for the good ol' days.
The cheap price of the DVD pretty much makes this a given purchase,
but just be sure to grab Night at the Opera first. |
